Jul-10-14 Christie Administration Partners with Burlington County Workforce Board to Link Laid Off Workers with Employers Ready to Hire

WESTAMPTON, N.J., July 10, 2014 –The Christie Administration partnered with the Burlington County Workforce Investment Board today to link former New Century Transportation employees with employers looking to hire in the transportation, logistics and distribution (TLD) industry.

Last month, Westampton-based trucking company, New Century Transportation, filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and closed its doors, terminating employment for more than 1,500 workers. The Labor Department and the Burlington County Workforce Investment Board worked cooperatively to reach employees affected by the layoff, arranging for them to meet with approximately 20 other companies in the TLD industry that have open positions.

“The transportation, logistics and distribution industry is essential to New Jersey’s economic success. We hope through this targeted employment fair to connect people who already have the skills that are in demand by the industry with employers who need their talents,” Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths said.

The Labor Department launched seven Talent Networks to center around industry clusters that drive the state’s economy. The Transportation, Logistics and Distribution Talent Network, which assisted in today’s employment fair, serves as a comprehensive resource for employers, job-seekers, the education community and the workforce development system.

More than two-thirds of New Jersey workers are employed in the seven industry clusters, which account for more than two-thirds of wages paid in New Jersey. The other six Talent Network industries are: Technology and Entrepreneurship; Life Sciences; Advanced Manufacturing; Financial Services; Health Care; and Retail, Hospitality and Tourism.

New Jersey, known as the ‘corridor state’ because of its prime location for the TLD industry linking several major U.S. cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., is within a day’s drive of 40 percent of the U.S. population, putting it within reach of 40 million people. That makes the TLD industry a key driver of the state’s economy.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development is an equal employment opportunity employer and provides equal opportunity programs.
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